


better days are not so far away

by ackermanx



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-07 09:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17957576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ackermanx/pseuds/ackermanx
Summary: it's lonely.chiaki wonders if this will ever change.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i really can't remember why I started writing this. ig I just wanted to give these boys some more lore ?? uuuhh. take it. lord knows they deserve more happiness

_(benthos: the floral and fauna on the bottom of a sea or lake)_

 

_\--------------------------_

 

he's not much of a believer in the supernatural, but chiaki can't shake the feeling that he's being watched.

it's more prominent when he's near bodies of water. and, yes, that includes the water fountain in yumenosaki. it's gotten to the point where he's considered asking one of his senpais from ryuseitai for help - even if he's not terribly close with them, they should understand, right?

except, for some reason, chiaki doesn't. so it's all on him when he does discover the source of the eyes.

he's eating lunch by himself, trying to cool down by sitting next to the fountain. his mind is most definitely not in the moment, working overtime to run through ryusetai's newest song. with all of this going on at the same time, chiaki is most definitely not expecting someone to tap him on the shoulder _from behind_  and say, in the sleepiest tone he's ever heard, "your 'voice' is nice~"

he screams and his lunch goes flying.

a few moments of silence pass, and chiaki finally feels courageous enough to open his eyes. and he doesn't know what he was expecting but…there's no one there. just him, his now-scattered food, and -

a tuft of blue hair appears in chiaki's field of vision.

he screams again.

"do not be 'afraid', it's just me." the full face of a boy finally appears, smiling far wider than he should be. "did i 'scare' you?"

"o-of course not!" chiaki laughs and curses how trembly it sounds. "i just - i wasn't expecting that. you shouldn't sneak up on people like that, you know?"

the boy stares back at him, unaffected by the scolding. chiaki looks closer, notices how glassy and flat his eyes are, begins to think that there may be something wrong. "what's your name?" chiaki asks as gently as he can. _what's your story? do you need saving?_

"'kanata,'" he says, not offering any more. and, well - chiaki can't say that he understands, because he doesn't, but he knows that he's willing to stick around until kanata doesn't need him anymore. because that's what heros do, isn't it? lend courage to people who need it the most?

"i'm chiaki!" he beams, sticking out a hand into a bewildered kanata's face. "morisawa. nice to meet you!"

 

(and later, much later - when chiaki is on the verge of tears and finally, finally wants to give up - kanata smiles at him with a light in his eyes for the first time, and promises to join chiaki in making ryuseitai all that he knows it can become.

there's no need for questions, for clarifications. chiaki just knows that, no matter how many times kanata may try to deny it, he is a true hero too.)


	2. Chapter 2

  _(obnubilate: to darken, dim, or obscure)_

 

_\-----------------------------------------------_

 

chiaki starts seeing shadows in the corners of his vision again in his third year.

the difference is that, this time around, he doesn't feel afraid. if his experience with kanata is anything to go by, then a person is behind these incidents as well. and if that's true, then all that chiaki has to do is reach out to the person in question and everything should be fine!

so the next time that he feels a presence near him, chiaki raises his head and smiles. "hello!" he yells. "i know you're there, but you don't have to come out! i just wanted to say hi!"

he knows that this is sudden. he knows that, whoever's out there, they may not even want to talk to him. what chiaki doesn't expect is for a person to fall out of the tree directly in front of him, stare at him through messy purple hair, and run away at top speed.

chiaki tells kaoru this during lunch, when kaoru mentions that he's looking particularly spaced out. this earns chiaki a good, hard look and half of a lecture about the importance of first impressions, before chiaki realizes that kaoru thinks he's talking about a _girl_ and has to backtrack insanely fast.

"wait, wait, wait, this is about an underclassman?" kaoru gives chiaki a Look, which chiaki steadfastly ignores. "then why are you talking to me about this? you know i'm not the best at making friends. 'sides, shouldn't you be the one going out there and talking to this kid? he won't know you're nothing to be afraid of if you don't just tell him yourself."

this, embarrassingly enough, takes chiaki a few seconds to process. he stares at kaoru, up to the point where kaoru starts to shift uncomfortably under his gaze, and grins so wide he feels like his own face might burst.

"you're right!" chiaki beams, as if he never had any doubt in the plan in the first place. "i just have to talk to him about it!"

he stands up. kaoru's eyes go wide. "wait, no, i didn't mean you have to go now - "

but it's too late. chiaki is out the door before kaoru can say a single word more.

just like him.

kaoru sighs, turns back around, and continues picking at his lunch.

* * *

 

if anyone were to see chiaki perched in this tree, eyes darting around every which way and grinning to himself, they would think that he had finally gone mad.

even chiaki has to agree with this. he's far too big for this particular tree, and there's no guarantee that the kid from the other day will be in the same place. he's committed to this though, and if he goes back then kaoru will just look at him like _i told you so_  even when kaoru didn't actually tell him anything.

so, whatever. he'll give it fifteen more minutes, and if no one shows up then it'll count as a loss. a loss of _what_ , chiaki isn't quite sure. his pride? a potential friend? oh - could he convince this new character to become a fellow harbinger of justice and join ryuseita -

right after he finishes that thought, a figure crashes thorough the foliage and comes to a stop mere inches from chiaki's face. they blink at each other, too shocked to say anything.

the other boy opens his mouth, shifts backwards the slightest bit - then his eyes grow wide as he remembers that he's in a tree, there's just empty space behind him -

chiaki's arm shoots out before he can even register what's happening. he waits for the boy to regain balance before he lets go, a curious look in his eyes.

"i'm chiaki?" why did that come out like a question? "are you okay?"

silence. then, in a voice so soft that chiaki has to lean forward to listen, "i'm fine!"

"oh, good - "

"e-excuse me! are you a ninja, too?"

chiaki feels his thought process grind to a halt. this is unexpected - pleasantly so, but now he's not quite sure how to respond. does he go with his usual hero spiel? does he tone it down a little?

…but he still needs to give an answer, so, well. maybe thinking is overrated. "are ninjas allies of justice?"

"i…i don't know. i, um…think so?"

chiaki's probably confused him. this isn't really ideal, but at least he hasn't run away yet. so chiaki puts on his brightest smile, tries to look as reassuring as possible, and goes "then I'm a ninja too!"

the other boy visibly perks up at that, beaming almost as widely as chiaki himself. "shinobu sengoku, at your service!"

it's extremely endearing. chiaki wants to reach over and do something like pet shinobu's head, even though they just met. but for now he'll just settle for -

\- nothing, in fact, if that was the sound of the bell he just heard.

shinobu gasps and disappears in a flash before chiaki can do anything. chiaki should get going too, otherwise he's going to horrendously late and make keito send him disapproving looks for the rest of the day.

on his half-walk, half-run back to his classroom, chiaki can almost see kanata doing his little smile while chiding chiaki gently about being too enthuastic. and ok, maybe chiaki is overthinking this a little, he'll give imaginary kanata that.

but he really, genuinely thinks that this is a new beginning.

(he hopes.)

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on twitter @axlotlols Please


End file.
